Watch the video below. Maybe you’ll want to “sing” along?
Archives for May 2015
Today is for Toby
Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by dear friends of the chimpanzees and humans alike, Pam Lehnert and Marc Warner, in honor of their beloved pup, Toby. Pam shared this touching message about Toby:
“Today celebrates the 1-year anniversary of adopting Toby, our 1 1/2 year-old lab mix puppy. Toby has many ties to CSNW, as our friend Jamie Davis (husband of former CSNW Executive Director, Sarah Baeckler) worked at the Oregon Humane Society and “found” Toby for us just days after last year’s “HOOT” gala; Toby’s favorite sitter is CSNW staff member Katelyn; and he has become best friends with Wilson and Abbey, JB and Diana’s dogs they adopted last year. Seeing these three shelter pups thrive in their forever homes is another example of “HOPE. LOVE. HOME… SANCTUARY”. Watching the progress of each of the chimps these past seven years at CSNW made for an easy choice to only consider adopting from a shelter when we decided to add to our pet family. Our lives are made richer every day by Toby – and everyone at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.”
Pam and Marc jokingly referred to themselves as “foster failures” after adopting Toby’s feline sibling, Chloe. Immediately smitten with this saucy lady, their foster home quickly became Chloe’s forever home. The individualized love and care Pam and Marc provide Toby and Chloe is truly heartwarming to see. All of our lives here are made richer for knowing this wonderful family.
Pam and Marc, thank you so much for all you do for all those around you, to make their lives better, both human and non. We truly appreciate you! And thank you for thinking of the chimpanzees in celebration of Toby’s new life!
Toby and his best friends, Wilson and Abbey:
And another guy who loves to play, Burrito:
Green grass, a warm greenhouse, and a comfortable nest
Negra surprised us this morning by spending quite a bit of time foraging on the hill.
Then, instead of going back to bed for the rest of the day, she spent some time lounging in the greenhouse with the rest of the gang.
But by mid-afternoon, bed was calling, and she retreated to her nest with a view of the kitchen so that she could keep an eye on dinner preparations. And every few minutes, she would ever-so-thoughtfully bang on the window cage behind her to remind us that she was indeed still alive, but that there was no guarantee that she would continue in that state if dinner didn’t arrive soon.
By the way, if you live in the Seattle area and listen to KIRO radio, keep an ear out for interviews conducted this morning with Co-Director Diana Goodrich and Volunteer Lizz Stewart for Rachel Belle’s Ring my Belle. If you don’t catch it, we’ll post a link as soon as it is available online.
Today is in memory of Toby
Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by the Wagmans in honor of a special dog person named Toby.
Tobias Zacharias Wolfe, adopted from a shelter in Los Angeles, blessed the life of CSNW’s former executive director Sarah Baeckler and her human family for several years.
As is often the case with rescued animals, he was both rescuee and rescuer to Sarah, providing joy and love with every wag of his tail and doggie kiss. He was independent and self-assured – not afraid to stand up to much bigger dogs who got out of line, and affectionate to those he cared for in that way that meant everything to the humans lucky enough to know him.
You all, as animal friends, know how difficult it is to lose the non-humans that find their way into our lives and make themselves a home in our hearts, as Toby did with Sarah and her family.
Having a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees who have also made a home in Sarah’s heart is a great tribute to a special pup.
Hugs to you, Sarah and family, in your time of loss.
Happy Day
Today is warm and sunny at the sanctuary and the chimpanzees are in great moods. Annie and Missy spent much of the morning like this:
Photo shoot to photo bomb
Missy isn’t typically one to sit and have her photo taken. She isn’t really a fan of the camera and let’s be honest, she has better things to do, places to go, and chimp friends to chase. But for whatever reason she was quite tolerant of me with the camera this morning as we sat in the sun together.
What isn’t seen in the above photos is Missy’s best friend, Annie, who was doing her absolute best to get Missy to play while I was taking these photos. Missy remained so poised, ignoring Annie’s efforts to engage her with play slapping, play biting, and stomping. That is until Annie decided to just photo bomb the photo shoot, hence, the blur of Annie’s face to the right of the photos below:
Of course, Missy couldn’t resist Annie’s attempts to play after this, not to mention it’s a little hard to pose for the camera when your friend is biting your hand.
If peace had a face…and toes
The chimpanzees have all appeared particularly serene and at peace today. It’s a beautiful spring day, but the wind is especially cold and everyone has spent a lot of time lounging in the warm greenhouse as they looked out over Young’s Hill.
While we often try to imagine what these moments must feel like to the chimpanzees after decades of trauma and uncertainty, I doubt we ever fully could. I am grateful and hopeful that with each passing day these moments outweigh those that came before. And I am grateful and hopeful that these faces (and toes) say it’s so.
Annie:
Annie feet:
Burrito:
Foxie:
Jody:
Missy:
Jamie was tucked away in a cozy nest in the front rooms, one arm splayed out over her eyes and the other hugging her boots to her chest, sound asleep. Unfortunately, not a spot the camera can get.
And you’ll never believe who the chimpanzees were watching from the comfort of the toasty greenhouse…
Negra. Hair blowing in the wind, the hill to herself, and how peace looked for her today.
